220v wiring for baseboard heater

drewhart

i have a 220v heater and a cadet double pole t-stat. the tstat has 2 red wires and 2 black. now i always thought 220v has two hot wires so i bought the 14/3 wire. but i dont see anywhere to hook up the neutral wire. also do the two hots get connected together with the black wire in the tstat? need help, its gettin' cold in here!

Steelhead

All you needed was 2 conductor cable like 14/2 or 12/2

drewhart

thats what i have been reading. so the wire from the breaker box goes to t stat. one wire to red and one black? then a wire from t stat to heater?

Steelhead

On the tstat you connect your wires coming from the panel to the two red or black wires (not sure which - consult the wiring diagram that came with your tstat) and then connect the two wires from you heater to the remaining wires on the tstat (again consult the diagram). You could still use the 14/3 just cap off the neutral (white) wire or you could take the 14/3 back and get 14/2. If you use 14/2 or 12/2 (depending on the wattage of your heater) make sure you tape the neutral (white) wire with black tape to signify that it is a hot conductor. Does that help?

drewhart

yeah totally. thanks. ill take it back. i have some 12/2 and 14/2 already laying around.

Steelhead

Good luck